Node and rc.d

[Remi L.]

Hello everyone,

I am an OpenBSD user and I recently installed Node.js. I managed to 
create an rc.d script to start a basic Node.js application, but it only 
starts manually.

At OpenBSD boot, I can see that the application is started, but it 
doesn't work. I have the impression that it is related to the 
node_modules directory, because after inspection, the JavaScript file 
seems to stop at the line :

const express = require("express");

It cannot load the express module.

Here are the full details so that you can reproduce the same error on 
your side:

OpenBSD version: 7.3 (release + syspatch)

Node version: 18.15.0

npm version: 9.5.0

Let's create a basic node.js app:

mkdir /var/www/htdocs/app
cd /var/www/htdocs/app/
npm init -y
npm install express
touch server.js
chown -R www.www /var/www/htdocs/app
chmod -R 775 /var/www/htdocs/app

/var/www/htdocs/app/server.js file:

--8<--
const express = require("express");

const app = express();

app.get("/", (req, res) => {
  res.send("Hello from OpenBSD");
});

app.listen(80, () => {
  console.log("Server started on port 80");
});

--EOF--

You can run `node server.js` to test the url: http://your-ip

Ctrl-c to quit

Now let's create the /etc/rc.d/app script:

--8<--
#!/bin/ksh

daemon="/usr/local/bin/node"
daemon_execdir="/var/www/htdocs/app"
daemon_flags="server.js"
daemon_logger="daemon.info"
#daemon_rtable=0
#daemon_timeout=30
#daemon_user=root

. /etc/rc.d/rc.subr

#pexp="$(eval echo ${daemon}${daemon_flags:+ ${daemon_flags}})"
rc_bg="YES"
rc_reload="NO"
#rc_reload_signal=HUP
#rc_stop_signal=TERM
#rc_usercheck= # (undefined or "NO")

#rc_configtest() {
#}

#rc_pre() {
#}

#rc_start() {
#       rc_exec "${daemon} ${daemon_flags}"
#}

#rc_check() {
#       pgrep -T "${daemon_rtable}" -q -xf "${pexp}"
#}

#rc_reload() {
#       pkill -${rc_reload_signal} -T "${daemon_rtable}" -xf "${pexp}"
#}

#rc_stop() {
#       pkill -${rc_stop_signal} -T "${daemon_rtable}" -xf "${pexp}"
#}

#rc_post() {
#}

rc_cmd $1
--EOF--

chmod +x /etc/rc.d/app
rcctl enable app

Start the app: rcctl start app

Check in the browser or use: netstat -anf inet | grep 80

Stop the app: rcctl stop app

Check that it is not anymore started: pgrep node => nothing

- Reboot -

If I do a `dmesg -s`, I can see the following line:

starting package daemons: app.

No errors, no output, even in the /var/log/daemon log.

I would be very grateful for any help or advice that you can provide.



Sincerely,

-- Remi

"Everyone makes mistakes, and the best way to learn is from our 
mistakes." - Henry Ford